


Think Till It Hurts

by Elenhin



Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Gen, Hercules and Iolaus thinks, thinking hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:12:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8771386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/pseuds/Elenhin
Summary: After a fight there the question is raised just what the bad guys were after. 
The problem is, thinking is required to find the answer, and thinking is not always an enjoyable ocupation...





	

_**Think Till It Hurts** _

 

The bandits attacked from out of nowhere, a dozen of your typical roadside bandits. The kind that will lie in wait for unsuspecting travelers, swoop down on them and take all their valuables. Sometimes they’d leave the travelers alive, sometimes not. Seeing only two men apparently they thought they’d be able to get at least a few coins, even though they only carried one sack between them.

 

Still, doubtless they thought that only two men should be easy, even if one of them was a little bigger, the other was kind of small.

 

Their main mistake was not recognizing Hercules, their second was to underestimate his partner. Iolaus was short, there was no way to deny that, and it really wasn’t that he minded his own height. It was more that he minded people looking down on him just because they were taller.

 

Once they had shouted the first insult to him, he was all too happy to prove to them just how wrong they were about his ability to fight. They weren’t all that skilled either, so it was easy. A few kicks, a few punches, some more fancy moves and then a few more kicks and punches.

 

Hercules grabbed the last one as he tried to run, and sent him flying forward with a well planted boot to the rear. He cried a warning to his partner and Iolaus looked up, and followed up Hercules’ kick with a well placed right in his face.

 

 “What were those bandits doing here, it’s not the main road?” he frowned as he shook his hand briefly.

 

“I don’t know,” Hercules gave him that teasing grin that meant he had it all figured out already. “What do you think?”

 

“I don’t know, that’s why I asked,” Iolaus sighed, not quite in the mood to play games. “This isn’t the main road, so what were they doing here?”

 

“It’s really not that hard to figure out,” Hercules grinned. Taking Iolaus’ hand he placed it on top of his blond curls. “Scratch around in those brain cells and I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

 

“It’s not working,” Iolaus complained as he scratched.

 

“Hurts to think, huh?” Hercules teased.

 

“Yeah,” he nodded.

 

Hercules turned back around to look at him, he actually sounded serious.

 

“Iolaus, that was a joke, it can’t hurt to think,” he frowned.

 

Iolaus bobbed his head up and down again, “it does.”

 

“No, thinking can’t hurt,” he shook his head again. “It just can’t, and you know that.”

 

Iolaus was still scratching his head with a thoughtful look on his face. “All I know is that I’m doing what you told me too, and it hurts,” he declared.

 

“I, don’t understand,” the demigod tried to figure it out, but he was just as baffled for it.

 

“That last one had a thick skull,” Iolaus dropped his hand from his head and winced as he tried to make a fist. “I think he broke my finger…”

 

Hercules looked closer, and saw that one finger was swollen, already stiff and starting to turn purple and green. If it wasn’t broken, it wasn’t far from it.

 

“Yeah, that would make it hurt,” he nodded. “We’d better have a look at that when we get to the village. They’re bound to have a healer.”

 

“Yeah,” he nodded. “So, you’re gonna tell me?”

 

“Why don’t you give it a shot with your other hand?” Hercules teased and Iolaus complied.

 

“It still hurts,” he declared.

 

“Oh come on,” Hercules stopped to look at him. “Thinking can’t hurt, even for someone who don’t do more of it than you do, and I don’t believe you’ve got two broken fingers….”

 

“I don’t,” Iolaus stated, drawing himself up.

 

“Then thinking can’t hurt, you’re just being lazy,” Hercules accused him. “You’re waiting for me to tell you.”

 

“No I’m not, but I got a lump there,” he touched the goose egg on his scalp. “I think I’d do better at this thinking stuff if I don’t have to scratch my head to do it,” he declared.

 

Hercules stopped, looked at him, and laughed. “Iolaus, you’re incorrigible,” he laughed as he grabbed him around the shoulders and pushed him ahead of him down the road. “And don’t ever change…”

 

“Didn’t plan too,” Iolaus giggled. “You know, it might not be that they had a good reason, they might just have been stupid…?” he suggested with another giggle and Hercules chuckled as they continued down to the village.

 

The End

 

_Regardless of what has been suggested in this fan fic, thinking does not hurt, but just to be on the safe side, no thinking was done during the writing._

 

**_Please comment, Jeremy Cricket is hungry...._ **


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